


December 1977

by belivaird_st



Category: Mindhunter (TV 2017)
Genre: 1970s, Christmas, Gen, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-09 08:03:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12883566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Holden goes out with Bill and his family to pick a Christmas tree. Other chapters include different holiday themes!!!





	1. Christmas Trees

“Which tree do you want to get?”

“Doesn’t matter. Just pick one!”

“Bill,” Nancy warns. Her arm tightens around her husband’s; body shivering under a red wool coat as the two of them stand huddled together outside the tree lot seeing their breaths float up in the cold air. Their son, Brian, waits a few yards up ahead with his eyes focusing on Holden, who blows into his bare hands for warmth and shifts his feet from side-to-side. 

“What are you waiting for, Holden? The tree isn’t going to pick _us_ , now,” Bill chuckles. Nancy clicks her tongue and tells for him to be quiet. The Tench family now watch Holden Ford burst into a quick run through a row of balsam pine trees. They listen to sounds of tree branches rustling and the young male agent complaining how the weather is ‘super freezing cold’ and that he needs a tissue for his runny nose. Bill looks up into the dark blue night sky and starts bouncing on the balls of his feet while Nancy takes notice how Brian’s jacket is left wide open and calls out his name for him to come over so she can zip him up. What seems to be a half hour later, Holden finds a Christmas tree at last.

“Hey. I found one!” he calls out from a deep set of trees.

“Fantastic. We can finally go home now,” Bill says, relieved. The muscles in his arm soon start to relax under Nancy’s grip as she smiles down; comforting Brian close to her waist. Brian simply looks on; shivering slightly.

“I think I’m going to need your help with this, Bill,” Holden responds carefully. 

Bill steps away from his wife and son and rolls his eyes yet again; marching across the crushed gravel and light snow towards Holden’s location in the empty wide tree lot.

xxxxxx

Holden sits inside the living room of the Tench residence, taking a green plastic cup of eggnog from Bill, who rests his own on top of a fold-out card table. He stares at the tree he chose, that leans back into a corner by the window, bare and green with no lights or ornaments.

“Is it too...?” Holden trails off. 

“Too what?” Bill questions.

“Big? The top’s touching your ceiling,” Holden explains.

“No problem. I’ll cut it,” Bill shrugs. He turns around to look at Nancy who has finished tucking Brian into bed. She holds onto the back of her husband’s chair and beams at the tree.

“The tree looks beautiful, Holden,” she agrees. “Thank you for picking one out for us...”

“Sure thing. I hope Brian had fun,” Holden brings his cup to his mouth and takes a sip. 

“It's too bad your girlfriend didn’t come along,” Nancy continues. “Debbie, was it?”

Holden chokes up on his drink and quickly sets his glass down. Bill smirks and grabs a few napkins to pass over. Holden takes them and wipes off his dripping face. The Tench family still doesn’t know that he and Debbie have split up. 

“Y-yeah,” Holden stutters. “She, uh, couldn’t make it due to a lot of studying.”

“Smart girl,” Nancy nods. “She’ll go far...”

 _Far enough to dump me_ , Holden thinks bitterly and decides that it’s time for him to go home now. He coughs into his hand and stands up on his feet, reaching from behind for his coat hung to his chair. The whole time Bill is looking at him, knowing something has happened, but not exactly sure what. Him and Nancy follow Holden out to the door and say their goodbyes. Holden steps back outside and shivers underneath his trenchcoat and suit. He stares back at the wreath hung to the door once the Tenches shut him out. He’s not ready for them to know the truth about Debbie Mitford. It still hurts him like a bee sting that just won’t let him heal and recover.


	2. Candy Canes

Bill shakes a plastic jar filled with candy canes nearby Wendy at her work desk. She stops writing and lays her Bic pen down. She eyes the red-and-white striped candy before looking up at the salt-and-pepper haired male agent.

“No thanks,” she declines the sweet gesture.

“You’re saying ‘no’ to a candy cane? C’mon, now. Where’s your holiday spirit?” Bill asks.

Wendy leans back in her vinyl chair and spots Holden already sucking from one end of his Christmas candy. He’s standing beside his own desk across the hallway, shoving some kind of portfolio into a brown leather briefcase. Sensing that he’s being watched, he glances up and peers around to stare back at Wendy; raising a hand up for a small wave of hello.

“Never took you for the jolly, ol’ Saint Nick type,” Wendy smirks, moving back forward with her hand reaching inside the jar. She takes a candy cane and starts peeling off the plastic wrapper.

Bill shrugs. “You sort of have to when you’re a parent. Nancy thinks Brian still believes in Santa Claus...”

“You don’t?” Wendy questions. She brings the head of her candy cane close to her mouth, but doesn’t lick it.

“The kid’s smarter than he looks. I never know what’s going on inside his head,” Bill sighs deeply. “Nancy just wants us all to have a nice, safe holiday season. I want that, too. So tell me... How am I doing so far?”

“Not bad,” Wendy grins, and then sticks the curved head of the candy cane between her lips and sucks on it quietly. She lowers her gaze back to her paperwork; picking up the pen. Bill pulls on this sheepish smug of a grin as he pushes off from Dr. Carr’s desk and carries the jar of candy away.


End file.
